Winter's Daughter
by Warmachine375
Summary: Aneira, a half-White Walker who've only known cold and loneliness throughout her whole life for 8,000 years in isolation after being raised by the ancient Starks in the Age of Heroes until she have met the generation of Starks (Rickard's family with Ned, Lyanna, Benjen and Brandon) in the time set long before the series' start. I own nothing of Game of Thrones HBO tv series.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys! What's up? I have made my Game of Thrones fanfic story titled "Winter's Daughter", a story of Aneira, a half-White Walker conceived by the Night's King and Queen who've only known cold and loneliness throughout her whole life for 8,000 years in isolation after being raised by the ancient Starks in the Age of Heroes until she have met the generation of Starks (Rickard's family with Ned, Lyanna, Benjen and Brandon) in the time long before the series' start.**

 **Oneshot story just in case.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Game of Thrones or any of the characters involved in the story. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and to D & D who worked on the production on the television hit HBO series.**

 **Anyways enjoy and don't forget to review. :D**

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 **8,000 years ago at The Wall, The Nightfort**

As the combined forces of the King-Beyond-The-Wall Joramun and the King in the North Brandon Stark the Breaker marched against The Nightfort, one of the nineteen castles of the Night's Watch to free the ancient military order of The Wall from the corrupting influence of the Night's King and Queen who have been ruling over the black brothers of the Watch in enslavement through sorcery and performing human sacrifices in that very castle as the free folk and the northmen have battled against the enthralled black brothers of the Watch side-by-side.

The two Kings stormed in the chambers of The Nightfort where they encountered the Night's King in a horrifying ice form that of the White Walkers, who was once the thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch before his fall to cold and darkness, facing them defiantly at his throne room and fought fiercely against Brandon and Joramun with his skills of the sword and sorcery in a long and terrible fight before he eventually died at their hands and the Night's Queen is next.

After impaling the Night's Queen brutally with his spear that ended her life in their violent clash between live steel and sorcery, Brandon the Breaker heard a feint whelping cry and made his way to see what he had heard after removing the spear out of the ice woman's bloodied corpse to fall on the ground dead.

Within a small cradle lay a baby girl wrapped in warm fur blankets crying for her mother who's no longer alive in this world after dying at the King in the North's hands.

The fallen thirteenth Lord Commander of the Watch have truly given his seed to the cold woman with blue eyes as well as his soul in their love when he had first met her in the Haunted Forest, resulting the product of their unholy union before the King in the North's eyes.

A half-White Walker and half-human.

Looking at the babe, Brandon was surprised that the newborn daughter of Night's King and Queen looks more human than a White Walker but still has her mother's cold blue eyes and probably the power of the cold itself. Such union between man and White Walker is abominable that it would be mercy enough to do the realms of men a favor to kill the baby rather than let it live and may cause greater trouble in the future.

But... Stark was not the person who murders children and felt pity towards the child inside him when the babe with tears in her eyes looked at him in innocence that moved him when he was about raise his spear to kill the Night's King's daughter. After a few moments of hesitation, he put away his spear and took newborn in his arms wrapped around to keep her out from sight.

Although he had considered throwing Joramun and his forces out beyond the Wall again just as they did many years ago but if the White Walkers are as dangerous as they seemed, Brandon the Breaker realizes that the free folk may suffer their freezing wrath of winter if they're driven out again and doesn't deserve to die out there in the cold outside the protection of the Wall his ancestor Brandon the Builder created after the First Men and the Children of the Forest drove them back to the Land of Always Winter in the uncharted borders of far Beyond the Wall.

"My bannermen may not like this... but it's the only way I can think of. Winter is coming...", the King in the North said to himself while looking at the small babe who stopped crying and fell asleep later on.

"Your Grace, the black brothers of the Watch has stopped fighting moments after you and the King beyond the Wall killed the Night's King and his Queen. The Night's Watch has been cleansed from their dominion.", a Stark commanding officer reported to his king.

Surveying the scenes in the aftermath of the conflict with the Stark forces tending to their wounded and disposing of the dead, the black brothers recovering from the horrifying ordeal they've gone into and the Free Folk were forcefully sent back to beyond the Wall with Joramun protesting of such actions despite their help to depose the Night's King and his Queen.

Brandon the Breaker stopped his men from forcing the free folk out resulting the many protests of his Northern lords who rallied behind him but remained true to his word as he said, "I will discuss with the King-Beyond-The-Wall in that issue. The free folk have helped us in freeing the Watch despite their enmity towards them and they deserve better than being thrown out of the Wall. Right now, cease your men from forcing the wildlings out and give them food and shelter until I reach my final decision! Is that understood!"

The Northern lords and bannermen were reluctant and hesitant at first but soon relented and allowed the free folk back into the Wall on their King's orders. Joramun and the free folk were somewhat grateful and didn't expect someone like Stark to let them stay for now instead of throwing back to beyond the Wall where the White Walkers dwell there as if something changed him.

Moments later at the small encampment built outside The Nightfort for the resting Starks and free folk where the Kings in the North and Beyond the Wall discuss in terms of negotiations that may benefit both sides to settle the matter with Brandon allowing the free folk to pass through the Wall and settle in the Gift to live among the people of the North as part of the Kingdom of the North and Joramun accepted in gratefulness in a condition that they may not kneel but will pay tribute to the Starks and rally to their cause should they call so long as they keep their word that the free folk held great importance.

Pouring wine to two cups, Joramun asked in a playful jest. "So, what's with the change of heart Stark? Gone soft lately? I thought you would have tossed me and my people back beyond the Wall after we helped dispose of the Night's King and his Queen for you."

Brandon laughed at the man's joking remark and replied, "If I did, you wouldn't be here by now, Joramun. Ever since my ancestor, Brandon the Builder built the Wall to protect the realms of men from the White Walkers, I believed that the free folk like you are born on the wrong side of the Wall and deserved to be living here south. And I assure you, I'm still hard as a rock."

"I see. I thank you for that Stark. My people have suffered long enough enduring the cold beyond the Wall and needed to seek shelter from your ancestor's Wall for protection and place to settle and live without fear in our lives.", the man said with a laugh as he sipped his wine.

"Winter is coming...", Brandon muttered his House's words of warning as he sipped his wine as well before asked in wonder towards his former foe. "Why did you rally your people against the Night's King?"

"As much as I hated the crows for keeping us from passing through the Wall to escape the White Walkers for many years, they don't deserve such horrible fate should the Night's King have lingered on. You've seen the display of human sacrifices inside that castle left after battle at The Nightfort, too horrifying to describe. It made even your bannermen, the Boltons and their flaying practices look sane.", the King beyond the Wall explained.

"I know that. It's so disgusting that I had my men clear whatever remains of the Night's King and his queen's work out of The Nightfort as soon as the battle is over and I already have the Night's Watch destroy all records of him for his crimes against the realms of men and the breaking of his vows he swore his oath to. His name will be forgotten and forbidden to spoken of ever again in history.", Brandon said.

"Good. Can't have your precious Watch and its crows soil their glorious reputation in Westeros as ' _the shield that guards the realms of men_ ' as it was meant to be.", Joramun joked with the two respective King shared a laugh together.

"This event may well end up in stories and legends of the Night's Watch for many generations to come, my friend.". the King in the North commented to which the King Beyond the Wall agreed to that.

Hearing a baby's whelp shortly after their negotiations, Joramun took notice of the small babe being tended and fed with milk by a young wetnurse assigned to take care of her well-being and asked in curiosity. "What is this Stark and whose babe belongs to?"

"The offspring of the Night's King and his Queen...", Brandon replied bluntly in response.

"W-what?! An unholy union of man and White Walker... Are you sure?...", the King beyond the Wall said in shock.

"Yes, Joramun. I found her soon after I killed the Night's Queen by my own hand. The fallen Lord Commander has given his seed to her and conceived their daughter as you see before you.", the Stark King explained.

"But would it be best to kill it and be done with it, Stark? That traitorous crow and his White Walker wife have caused enough damage to the Watch in their reign at that time before we killed them. This... abomination should not exist.", the free folk leader spoke in worry.

"'Her', Joramun. Not 'it'. She may be the daughter of the Night's King conceived by his Queen but she is innocent of the crimes committed by her parents and doesn't deserve to be killed for their sins. And I am not someone who kills children regardless of their origins.", Brandon said.

"But she's an abomination...", Joramun repeated his statement.

"Abomination she may be but she's a human being. When I looked into the babe's eyes, I didn't see a monster but a person in her who wants to live a life not die just like her parents did by our hand. I also don't want the Night's Watch find out about the child's existence and kill her for her parents' sins if they do. Besides she looks more human than a White Walker if you look more closely.", the Stark King insisted.

Looking at the babe's innocent face with blue eyes staring and then smiling at him in a clueless and adorable look, the free folk king relented in defeat with a sigh and said, "Very well, I will keep the babe's secret for her sake and yours as well. I pray to the old gods that you're not wrong in sparing her life."

Nodding in agreement, Brandon the Breaker said. "My thanks Joramun. I will raise this child as a normal person and my ward in Winterfell. She'll be passed off as one of your own people who lost her parents beyond the Wall and raised under my roof until she's old enough to be living a life here in the North. Well, then let's rally your free folk you've gathered and get them south to settle at the Gift before I changed my mind. Hahahaha."

"My thanks again Stark. The free folk will be forever in our debt to you and your family and will repay that debt eventually. Perhaps this babe here must be the one who gave you a change of heart after all. Hahahaha.", the King beyond the Wall said heartily.

"Yes, as much as I acknowledge the fact that the Night's King was once my brother of my family who is no longer the one I know of or even the man he once was, the babe is of my blood, Joramun. Kinslaying is looked down upon by the old gods and men that stayed my hand if she wasn't a fully-blooded White Walker. No one must know of this, my friend. No one. Not even her. She must not know of this.", the King in the North declared that the conversation about the daughter of the Night's King and Queen had never existed and even made the wetnurse, who is taking care of the baby, swear an oath to keep the secret too as well.

The two Kings both descent of the blood of the First Men shook hands signifying the peace made between the northmen and the free folk with no need of the latter bending the knee to the the former at all as they despise kneeling but if they're going to live behind the Wall south, they'll have to learn to tolerate and get along their new neighbors if they have to.

After the Kings of Winter and Beyond the Wall have settled the negotiations between both sides in agreement, the free folk were allowed passage through the Wall to settle in the Gift and other unoccupied lands of the North much to the surprise of the Night's Watch and the northern lords he called upon to call their banners who thought of their King mad to do such thing but eventually relented to allow so, and the gratefulness of the free folk who then pledged their allegiance to the Starks without even the need to kneel before the ruler of the North.

As the whole ordeal with the Night's King has ended, the Stark armies were allowed to return back to their lands and families as the northern lords and bannermen returning back to their castles, villages and keeps, and the free folk under former King Beyond the Wall Joramun heading to settle the Gift filled with abandoned villages due to their constant raid a long time ago as their new home south of the Wall, officially becoming part of the Kingdom of the North.

Somewhere else at some point of time, he had also secretly buried the deceased Night's Queen with a proper burial somewhere in the far deep in the wolfswood as a respect to the dead even if it was a White Walker for the babe's sake before catching up with his group of Stark men-at-arms heading home to Winterfell.

"What will be your name, little one?", Brandon wondered out loud to himself as he held the small babe while riding horse on his way back to Winterfell to return home to his family as if she was his own blood while secretly knowing the fallen thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch was actually his brother who was lost forever which makes technically his bastard niece. "Hmm... I think I'll name you Aneira. That's your name from now on, daughter of Winter."

This gave the child of the Night's King and Queen a warm smile at the name given to her by the King in the North with glowing blue eyes dissipated into normal grey color of the Stark trait as if they have never existed at all...

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 **Author's Note: Phew! The prologue chapter is done and the next update may come around soon if the story is good enough. This idea came to me when I looked at the story of the Night's King and Queen in Game of Thrones' HBO Documentary of the Night's Watch and its history. In that story mentioned of that man giving his seed and soul to the woman cold as ice. In the first chapter, it'll be set on the time long prior to Robert's Rebellion where Aneira meets the Starks (Ned and his siblings) again in several or more centuries of isolation from civilization later after being raised as a ward of Brandon the Breaker. It'll be revealed later. ;)**

 **Just for now, it'll be a oneshot just in case.**

 **Not sure about the White Walkers' physiology and age in the books by GRRM, I think they are very long-lived up to 8,000 years and time for them seemed short in their time perspective until the current timeline set in the Game of Thrones tv series. So I guess Aneira must be over at least 8,000 years old but looked like some young beautiful woman lol.**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to review..**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey what's up and hello there guys, I'm back for a long time and the second chapter of "Winter's Daughter" is here. Thank you for your first reviews and support for this Game of Thrones fanfic. I appreciate it. Sorry for the long wait because of college you know.**

 **Game of Thrones Season 5 has already ended (with Jon Snow murdered by the Watch and the traitorous Olly! :'(...) and got myself a DVD copy of it to watch it in tv over and over again. Watching GoT series at HBO channel may no longer be possible anymore since the fifth season has ended. Oh well, time to wait for the upcoming Season 6! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Game of Thrones or any of the characters involved in the story. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and to D & D who worked on the production on the television hit HBO series.**

 **Anyways enjoy and don't forget to review. :D No flames please**

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 **8000 years later, somewhere in the lands of the North near the Gift**

Somewhere in deep within the wolfswood near the Gift, there was a small cottage and there lived a simple young woman with dark-grey hair with small linen of pure white strands garbed in fur cloaked huntress dress who have just returned from hunting game for food and storing them for the coming winter to survive as the Starks always say for many years and were always right.

Feeling relieved to be home under the safety of her roof, the young woman put away her bow and quiver of arrows on the cabinet and set down the prize of her hunt she successfully carried out for her meals to cook as a personal reward to herself.

But this was no ordinary woman who is neither lowborn or even human at all.

She was known to be Aneira Stark or rather Aneira Winters now, an adopted daughter of Brandon the Breaker, the King in the North and his secretly bastard niece. Not only that, Aneira is a half-White Walker with more human appearance than a White Walker born from the love made by her parents, the Night's King, formerly once the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and his Queen who were responsible for taking control of the Night's Watch before being driven out by the combined forces of the free folk and the Starks of Winterfell.

After being taken in by the King in the North from the Nightfort where she was born under his custody, Aneira was given a home and place among the Stark family in Winterfell where he secretly explained to his wife about her origins and after several moments of taking in, she had seemed to accept the girl with the idea of legitimize her as a Stark among their trueborn children.

Otherwise, Aneira would have been known as a Snow throughout the rest of her life when she grows up and a life of a bastard may not be nice and pleasant in the eyes of society in the North. And Brandon the Breaker would not let that happen to his one of his own related kin despite her White Walker blood within.

During her years at Winterfell, the girl was being loved and taken care of by the Stark family as she had been treated well by Brandon's wife and children although remained unaware of her true heritage. She played with her "brothers and sisters" in their series of childish games such as sword play and archery including some knack of embroidery and enjoyed sibling moments together. Her "mother" and "father" loved her like a daughter among their trueborn children.

But when there were happy moments for the young girl, there were sad moments. Some of the smallfolk and the household members in the ancient seat of the Starks sees Aneira as a bastard born out of wedlock by their King Brandon and a living disgrace to his wife's honor as they saw her as a babe in the man's arms upon returning to Winterfell with his forces in their gossips and rumors among themselves.

Some of them were bold enough to call her a bastard and tormented her with bullying and insults towards her whenever chance and opportunity they have just to make her feel miserable in the great keep before Brandon rashly put an end to it who was notified of the intolerable behavior of his subjects on his adopted daughter that greatly silenced them out of fear of invoking Stark's wrath for tormenting one of his own kin despite their protests that she's a bastard but the King in the North would hear none of it and had those despicable people banished or executed personally from Winterfell for good.

However, the effects of being bullied had remained in her mindset because of them. Despite being treated and loved as family, Aneira always felt like an outsider and insecure in Winterfell but her "parents and siblings" were always there on her side and convinced her to stand up for herself however that she was grateful of.

But it does not end there. Watching her loved ones, the family she cherished, who had took care of her grow old and die followed by their children's children throughout the years, Aneira felt despair and sadness as to why she couldn't grow old and die like all the people as she saw herself remain youthful as if age and death never came to her at all. The half-White Walker once tried to kill herself in her moment of despair but no weapon were able to kill her, although they made her bleed, she's still alive.

That is where she discovered pale icy skin forming around her arm in one of the freezing winter and had realized that she was not human at all and a White Walker, one of the non-human races from Beyond the Wall that once invaded Westeros in the Long Night in their wake of cold and death they brought before being driven back farther north with the Night's Watch guarding the Wall to prevent their return. Coupled with the fact that in one of her hunts, she had unconsciously caused the dead animals and a couple of bandits and poachers she had killed in self-defense to rise as mindless wights bidding to do under her command when they stare at her with cold blue eyes waiting for her orders. Frightened of the wights she revived unknowingly, she killed them again and burned their corpses to prevent that from happening again, and also forbid herself from doing such an unnatural ability to raise the dead.

Deciding to isolate herself from civilization because of her unnatural abilities of a White Walker in fear, Aneira lived deep within the wolfswood near the Gift with a small cottage she built for herself with little contact with the people of the North and took a new surname of "Winters" for herself by choice as opposed of Stark since her name faded away in the lineage book about House Stark for many years.

For the free folk who have now lived in the Gift as part of the Kingdom of the North as Brandon the Breaker and Joramun had brokered between both sides after uniting to take down the Night's King and his Queen, they view her as unnatural and suspicious of her true nature as a White Walker since they have close encounters with them back from Beyond the Wall before being allowed inside south of the Wall by the King in the North and saw glimpses of her abilities especially during the passing winter seasons.

However, they have never proved that she is a White Walker that had somehow bypassed the Wall meant to keep the race of icy beings out from the south of Westeros right under the noses and the keen sight of the Night's Watch in their speculations and even if they did, no hard evidence can back out such claims to back them up yet their suspicions remains.

Even the few hundred giants who were brought along with the free folk including the mammoths as well appear to be aware of this suspiciously but had simply saw her as harmless and nonthreatening. Thankfully they kept this among themselves and their simplified Old Tongue made it harder for those who speak Common Tongue to understand what they were talking.

She would often visit the free folk settlement in the Gift for several occasion just to trade up with the results of her hunts for goods and supplies although still felt cautious of their wary nature towards her including the giants.

The only ones among the free folk who didn't treat her with contempt or suspicion are the family who are descended from former King-Beyond-the-Wall, Joramun who is one of the few who knows of Aneira's heritage as the daughter of the Night's King aside Brandon the Breaker and the wetnurse who tended to her before dying in old age and the secret of this knowledge was passed for generations.

But she wasn't aware of that however since there were rare interactions with the free folk family for few decades or so.

Eight thousand years has passed, Aneira Winters have lived and witnessed some or most of the events that has happened and transpired throughout Westeros from the Andals' invasion of Westeros and the rise and fall of a hundred kingdoms of the First Men and the Andals before the Seven Kingdoms to Aegon the Conqueror's subjugation of Westeros under his rule of the Iron Throne by his three dragons and the Targaryen reign that followed over the passing three hundred years.

Thanks to her centuries-long isolation, almost no one knew of her existence as an extremely long-lived half-White Walker and a 'daughter' of the ancient King in the North Brandon the Breaker at all since it's been a very long, long time since the Age of Heroes. And also, she doesn't bother to involve herself in the affairs of kings and men when wars, rebellions and major events occurred in Westeros that is none of her business and hopes to keep it that way.

In her time perspective, it had felt like recently, hours, days or even weeks ago for Aneira but decades passed and she was not aware of it probably because of her long-lived longevity as a half-White Walker that they never age at all even for a thousand years or more. This however ruined her sense of time and had great trouble to cope with it since then.

While living throughout eight thousand years in isolation, Aneira managed to learn to hone and use her abilities as a half-White Walker to control ice to craft and shape weapons out of it she produced at will but never reviving the dead as wights since her morals and respect for the dead to rest in peace still held strong within her mentality while keeping them a secret and let the suspicions remain as they are about her without being found out.

Finishing recalling her memories of long ancient past, the half-White Walker woman have started making meals for herself out of boar and rabbit stew, hot chicken soup and a cup of hot water and milk and started eating although secretly, she wishes that there'd be some company at least since the atmosphere in her small home is getting very lonesome for so long too many times.

Suddenly, there were a few several knocks heard through the door of her cottage and Aneira was surprised that there are visitors which is considered new and very rare since no one can find her isolated home in the wolfswood.

"Visitors? Strange... That's new. I wonder who it is?", she said to herself before getting off the chair and headed for the door.

Outside the half-White Walker woman's humble cottage are four young children in teen ages who wore fur cloaks and clothing for the cold weather and they are of House Stark with their long faces and grey hair including the direwolf sigil of theirs. They appeared to have noticed Aneira Winter's home while having a little journey in the wolfswood with their horses after sneaking out in Winterfell right under from their father's nose just for a little adventure. Partially they blame the wolf's blood in them for getting them into trouble, mostly on the two who displayed more of such traits in the Stark family.

"Hello? Is there someone home in there?", a young girl called out through the door and continued to knock more.

"Are you sure about this, Lyanna? We're not supposed to be here.", a meekly boy muttered in fear.

"Sure it is Benjen. Without Father knowing, we just went to the wolfswood to explore only to find this small cottage and we need to know who lives here. So far almost no one lives here this deep except the mountain clans. Right, Ned?", an older brother's voice chimed in.

"I agree with you Brandon. This small cottage was here in the wolfswood and it may be either occupied by either the smallfolk or the free folk yet never notified Father at Winterfell about it.", another boy said with a reserved and quiet tone.

As the Stark siblings continue talked among themselves, a door opened for them and they see a young-looking woman who appeared to share the similar traits of the members of the Great House of the North and beamed a soft kind yet lonely smile when she asked despite the already cold air feeling around themselves and saw a small glint of blue eyes glowing a bit.

"Yes, can I help you children?"

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 **Author's Note: Well the new chapter of "Winter's Daughter" is done and the next one will come around soon. In the next chapter, Aneira meets the young Stark siblings: Lyanna, Ned, Brandon and Benjen before accompanying back to Winterfell, her former home 8,000 years ago. For the rest of the future chapters, Westeros may soon learn the existence of a White Walker, or rather half-White Walker after believing a non-human race of ice and death to be extinct for thousands of years and nothing more than a stuff of myth and legend.**

 **Hey guys, my brainpower is kinda pretty low and I might need help on what ideas and suggestions in order to make the story better and more interesting. Feel free to say so and I'm all ears for that.**

 **Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to review. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey yo what's up my friends? I have returned at last from a long point of writer's block due to college and intrams, and the third chapter of "Winter's Daughter" is here folks. Thank you for your support and reviews that I always appreciated. :D**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Game of Thrones or any of the characters involved in the story. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and to D & D who worked on the production on the television hit HBO series.**

 **Anyways enjoy and don't forget to review. :D No flames please**

* * *

 **Inside Aneira's cottage**

At the dining hall of the cottage located deep in the wolfswood Aneira Winters allowed the four Stark children inside her home under the invoking of the sacred guest right by the gods and men as she provided them a hot meal and drinks as a show of hospitality to the descendants of the Stark family she was raised alongside with a long long time ago.

"I hope this is enough I made for you, young lords and lady. I didn't expect visitors in my home more often.", the half-White Walker said as she set down the plates and mugs for her unexpected guests whom she recognized as the Starks of Winterfell due to the certain features and traits they possessed.

"Thank you miss. And please, don't call me a lady.", Lyanna insisted which Aneira smiled at the girl's fiery will.

The Stark boys thanked the woman for the hospitality under her roof as they prayed to the old gods before digging in on the food and drinks considering they were hungry on their little adventure outside Winterfell.

"My name is Aneira Winters and my home is yours.", she politely introduced herself to the Stark children.

"I am Brandon Stark, heir of Winterfell and the North. This is my tomboyish sister Lyanna, my quiet brother Eddard but we call him Ned and the little pup here is Benjen. Our father is Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North and our mother is Lyarra.", the eldest Stark boy returned the introductions with his siblings warmly greeting the daughter of the Night's King.

"Winters? I never heard of a noble house here in the North...", Ned questioned of Aneira's surname with a hint of suspicion as he was aware of his family's vassal houses and bannermen loyal to the former Kings of Winter but Winters was never one of them.

Aneira then explained to them about her surname'origins. "That is the name I made for myself, young lord. I was born in the middle of the winter and Winters is a fitting name for me."

She remembers her 'father' Brandon the Breaker told her that she was born during such a harsh season but never her heritage as the Night's King's daughter or her origins in The Nightfort, one of the currently fully-manned and fortified castles at the Wall.

"That would make you a noble. But shouldn't you be living in a castle or a keep with servants instead of living alone in a cottage?", Ned stated.

The centuries-old woman simply said, "Just because I'm a noble if you all assume that I am because of my surname doesn't mean I wanted to live such a life where I'm already contented of my current lifestyle where I hunt for food and furs to trade."

And then it's her turn to ask the Stark children who resumed eating their meals she provided for them under sacred guest right.

"What were you doing here in the middle of the wolfswood?", Aneira asked.

"My brothers and I were off on a little adventure here from Winterfell with Brandon although Ned and Benjen were reluctant to come along so I had to drag them along with us.", the Stark girl explained.

"Then we came across your home. There was no one living this deep in the wolfswood other than the northern mountain clans. Even if there were smallfolk living here this far, Father would have been notified of this.", Eddard stated.

The older woman looked a bit ashamed due to her centuries-long isolation from the human civilization in the North. "I lived here a long time little lord. Built this cottage myself if you are wondering. I apologize if this offended your father that I didn't notify him about my home here."

It would appear that the Stark children understood her and thought it might be forgetfulness and ignorance of hers to be blamed as they continued on their dining and converse with each other in childish and petty things.

"Um, excuse me miss... But, uh, you have Stark traits similar to us...", Benjen spoke up a bit shyly when noticing her grey hair with white strands.

"I have never been called a Stark for a long time little lord.", she said with a small smile that gave the Stark siblings a widening look of surprise.

"Y-you were a Stark? H-how? But Father and Mother never mentioned you.", Lyanna said in confusion that the woman was a Stark like them and didn't expect that another relative of her family is this woman standing in front of her.

"Are you a Karstark or a Greystark? A bastard perhaps?", Brandon rudely questioned Aneira about her social status if she's from the Greystarks and the Karstarks that earned him a harsh smack from his little sister for calling her a bastard.

"Brandon! That's very rude of you to say that to her! Aneira is not a bastard!", she yelled.

"Sorry...", the Stark heir felt ashamed of himself for being rude to their host.

"I apologize on behalf of my older brother.. Brandon can be hotblooded as of his wolfsblood and forgets his manners sometimes.", Ned said in formal apology politely to the far older woman.

She brushed it off and replied. "Apologies accepted young lord. Please... Just respect your elders and those older than you next time regardless of their social status and keep your tongue to yourself."

This made the hotblooded son of Lord Rickard Stark feel more ashamed of himself for such a rude manner towards her and apologized again.

"If you were a Stark then which part of our family you are from?...", the young wolf asked that his brothers and sister wanted to know as they knew their family have distant relatives elsewhere in the North, possibly in White Harbor and Barrowton as some held vassal holdfasts for the lords of Winterfell.

"A very very distant offshoot from the family line...", Aneira simply said with a sad look that someone like young Brandon called her a bastard although it was unintentional since a long time during her time at Winterfell raised by her 'father' and 'siblings' while the residents tormented her of being the base-born daughter of the King in the North.

"I see... Does that make you Aunt Aneira then?", Lyanna asked the older woman who's really distant in the family line as expected of possessing the Stark blood in her veins of her White Walker heritage.

"Well you can say that. Perhaps you should call me Old Aneira then...", the half-White Walker joked which the young she-wolf interjected that they have Old Nan, an elderly storyteller in Winterfell and such a term does not suit her distant family member well.

Interacting with the Stark children made Aneira feel happy and relieved that she made social contact directly from these wonderful kids who shared sibling bond as opposed of the others avoiding her due to her White Walker blood but sadly unlike her who lives forever, these children will be all grown up to become a great lord, a noble knight, a warrior woman or even a wizard depending on whatever their choices they choose in the paths and may have a family and children of their own before they die at some point.

"You're not seriously thinking of joining the Night's Watch aren't you Benjen? Freezing your balls off at the Wall once you say your vows there for the rest of your life.", Brandon asked.

"I am, brother. The Night's Watch has been guarding the Wall for thousands of years from the White Walkers who constantly attacked the Seven Kingdoms. It's the duty of the noble knights and warriors to defend the realms of men from them.", the Stark pup said.

"Father wouldn't allow you to do that, Benjen even if you insisted. You know that.", Ned supported his elder brother's objections

"Hey, I want to join the Night's Watch too! I want to fight them too! There were black sisters in the Watch!", Lyanna stated which her brothers strongly objected it as she was their only sister and didn't want anything bad happen to her.

As the Stark siblings banter about the Night's Watch, Aneira Winters remembered about the ancient military organization that has survived the long history of Westeros for 8,000 years has been defending the Wall from the frequent White Walker attacks and invasions as they are the shield that defend the realms of men as it is their main mission and purpose after driving them off in the Long Night and the War for the Dawn.

It was when Joramun and Brandon the Breaker made a pact due to Aneira's existence that formally ended the hostilities between the northmen and the wildlings where the former King-Beyond-the-Wall led his free folk clans of over a 100,000 people or more they can count and the few hundred remaining giants and their mammoths in safe passage through the Wall to settle in the Gift as their new home away from the White Walkers.

However, this provokes the White Walkers into action as they see the wildling clans and anything living and breathing as their meat for their wight armies to kill and raise under their control and their prey are now safe on the south of the Wall, the only thing that barred them from human civilization and away from their clutches that prompted them to attack and lay siege on the massive wall of ice and snow raised up by Brandon the Builder with magic of the Children of the Forest where the purpose of the Night's Watch to defend the realms of men and fight against the White Walkers has been realized.

Not only that, the Night's King who was once the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and a former Stark led the vanguard of the attacks on the Wall after ascending as their ruler in the Land of Always Winter in the leadership and hierarchy of the White Walkers as his driving force to take revenge on the Starks and the Free Folk for driving him out and murdering his beloved wife and his daughter that they conceived of their love.

Although he did not know to the fact that his only daughter Aneira Winters is still alive and well, and is currently living at the south of the Wall living alongside the humans after being spared of the crime of just being related to him and raised by his former brother Brandon the Breaker, the King in the North.

Because of the White Walkers' frequent attacks and raids on the Wall and parts of Westeros, the Night's Watch was provided with a tremendous number of noble knights, warriors and soldiers, high-grade quality weapons and equipment, and the full support by the Hundred Kingdoms of the First Men from Dorne to the North to fight off the White Walkers' invasions on the continent for thousands of years as they are the only ones who stands between them and Westeros.

Even the free folk descended from the First Men tribes who were on the wrong side of the Wall when Brandon the Builder raised it up and the giants who helped in building it in the first place willingly supported the Night's Watch with their battle-hardened warriors and expertise of traveling the cold harsh terrain in Beyond the Wall to repay the debt to the Starks for granting them a place and a home to live in the North away from the White Walkers.

The Children of the Forest living mostly in the North and the Neck and some parts in the Stormlands took part in defense of the Wall since the signing of the Pact of the Children and the First Men as they provided a hundred dragonglass daggers to the Watch every year. The free folk also gave up the prized dragonglass they have too as well although the giants were a bit too possessive of it such as Wun Weg Den Dar Wun mostly before they were finally convinced to relinquish it.

The Andals who immigrated to Westeros from Essos and settled in the southern regions that established the Seven Kingdoms through peaceful and sometimes violent means with the First Men to co-exist and mingle with them that brought the assimilation of the Hundred Kingdoms, saw the importance of the Night's Watch in their bravery, valor and defense of the continent from the White Walkers who has been raiding and attacking them.

Knights, ascetics, holy men, dragonslayers and demonhunters sworn to the Faith of the Seven voluntarily took the black at the Wall in the defense of the realms of men as the Seven wills it through the High Septon and fought alongside the men of the Night's Watch against the White Walkers bravely in their skill and valor despite great casualties they've suffered.

Due to the huge number of knights willingly joined their ranks, the Night's Watch formed a new order among the three current orders (Ranger, Builder and Steward): the Wardens, an order of black knights who are currently the core fighting group of the Watch tasked in dealing the full force of the White Walkers and wights whenever they attack the Wall and take the fight to them in Beyond the Wall whenever they were spotted by the Rangers who will join in.

Magic has been vital in defending the Wall as the alchemists or commonly known as the pyromancers from the Alchemist Guild, an ancient society of learned men who claimed to have many magical and arcane abilities were put to good use of their services and abilities and their growing influence of their importance for the Watch with their powers over fire and wildfire at their disposal and the sorcerers and mages from Essos and Asshai were brought in not only to supplant the Night's Watch but to teach them magic.

Not only that, the Night's Watch were supplied with over 200 Valyrian steel weapons manufactured from Valyria every year that they managed to make a generous supply contract with the most powerful freehold empire in Essos which was badly needed to counter the White Walkers' ice blades that has the ability of shattering even the best castle-forged steel weapons whenever they clash in battle. Unfortunately, the Doom of Valyria had occurred years later with the loss of its art of making such spell-forged steel in dragonfire that led to its its rarity and costly state which led the defenders of the Wall to make good use with what they have received from the now-extinct Valyria in their arsenal as the noble houses of Westeros greatly treasured their Valyrian steel blades as priceless heirlooms, each with its own name and history than anything else.

With magic practically applied in Westeros everywhere starting from the Wall, all members of the Watch were said to have such power that transcends human knowledge imbued in their bodies that gave them great advantage against the supernatural race of cold and ice to be in equal terms of combat ability and strength as a White Walker can send a dozen men flying with a mere swing of its arm in a battle which a magically-empowered man can break the ribs of a White Walker so hard with a heavy punch.

And also, the knights granted with magical abilities imbued in their bodies as well in the south have soon fit to call themselves the Holy Knights, the most powerful knights in Westeros who are the heroes that protect the Seven Kingdoms from various threats and are terrifying individuals, with each able to match an entire country's army in strength and power.

Currently, over at least several orders of Holy Knights exist within the nine regions of the continent and they can voluntarily take the black at the Wall in defense of the realms of men from the White Walkers.

The maesters of the Citadel, an order of scholars, healers, postmen, and scientists were somewhat reluctant in accepting the existence of magic and its uses due to their disdain and hatred belief of such little understood powerful force in the world and their intention to eliminate and replace it entirely with science. Although with the Valyrian glass candles continuously burning as proof of its immense potency, magic has become a mundane part of everyday life among the people of Westeros within the nobility and the smallfolk as wizards and witches were appearing more commonly in the South lately alongside the greenseers and wargs in the North, and the water wizards from the Rhoynar in Dorne.

This led to persecutions and attempts to stamp out magic and its users throughout the land by the Archmaesters in any means necessary with those who fear and despise magic which led to the loss of many lives in their bloody crusade against magic but they were overwhelmed and defeated due to the magic casters' superior power aided by the Giants and the Children of the forest who felt threatened by them as they're magical creatures and by the majority half of the Seven Kingdoms who are pro-magic.

However, the maesters were given the chance to change their viewpoint on magic after learning more about it though the Archmaesters remained embittered to it and also study the biology and anatomy of the White Walkers, the giants and the Children of the Forest through corpses obtained from natural death or battle to be recorded in the books they write.

The Faith of the Seven, a religion of the Andals they brought to Westeros were on the same boat as they condemned such power to be witchcraft and demonic practices and deemed the Children of the Forest and their magic abominations, and they held deep fanaticism and implacable hatred for enemies of the Faith; they see any who worship other gods as false and evil but the old gods of the North were the ones they tolerated for the sake of facing a far greater enemy.

They, too, wanted to extinguish magic in league with the Archmaesters who still wanted to eliminate it which led to more bloodshed and conflicts with the Faith Militant leading the purge of magic casters from Westeros but eventually, they were soundly defeated as their huge numbers in mere men and weapons were no match for the superior might of magic that gained the upper hand, humiliating the Faith and shaken the people's faith due to their unjust persecution.

With the existence of the rising Holy Knights that are spreading across the land and defending the magic casters, the High Septon has declared to the followers of the Faith that the Warrior has granted the knights sworn and anointed to the Seven his godlike power and strength in their arms to defend the weak and innocent and uphold the good of the realm, and officially annulled the religion's deep scorn on magic as it's a already common occurrence in Westeros for thousands of years.

Women are also included in the Night's Watch among the black brothers albeit reluctantly due to the martial society of Westeros that prohibits the gentler sex in taking up arms but it was all changed as the legendary female figure of Brave Danny Flint, a girl who took the black disguised as a boy have proved her bravery and valor against a powerful White Walker magic caster whom she killed after retorting that she's no man at its face but died of her wounds thereafter where her true gender was revealed by the men of the Watch who were both shocked and moved that their view on women has been changed to a certain extent.

Even the Targaryens have done the same after their ascension as the ruling dynasty of Westeros with the Iron Throne as their seat of power in the War of Conquest when Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives Rhaenys and Visenya helped the Night's Watch in burning out a large army of wights and White Walkers that nearly overwhelmed the black knights with their three dragons which brought huge merit of their conquest to the Seven Kingdoms whose kings either willingly surrendered to become Lords Paramount (the Starks, the Arynns and the Lannisters) passed on for generations or killed for resisting them (the Durrandons, the Hoares, and the Gardeners) but their descendants still ruled their lands after given a chance to serve them under new family heads except for Dorne that remained defiant and independent until a marriage pact fully united the continent together, of their great power to defend the realm that their dragons are vital in driving the supernatural cold beings of ice and death off.

Since then with the White Walkers still actively around for many years and growing bolder with ice dragons that has been causing huge trouble for the defenders in first sight of shock and terror, they deployed dragons to the Wall with Targaryen and dragonseed riders who volunteered to join the Night's Watch as the military order's air force as a main counter against the ice dragons and the White Walker riders.

Great and famous battles and skrimishes against the White Walkers at the Wall and Beyond the Wall were fought and legendary figures among the members of the Night's Watch of their bravery and valor well known spread in tales and songs passed on throughout the centuries that encourages more people to voluntarily taking the black to serve and defend the realm.

If the White Walkers had been noticeably absent for such a very long time 8,000 years later, the ancient military organization would have been nothing more than a shadow of its former self and being reduced to a dumping ground for criminals, rapists, thieves, scumbags of the society, disgraced nobles and bastards with only few good men of the Watch trying to keep them in line by now, and their true purpose would have been forgotten.

In the current time now, the Night's Watch has been standing vigilant in guarding the Wall against another attack from their ancient enemies anytime soon with the full strength of the credible fighting force backed by the entirety of Westeros who is now aware of the existence of the White Walkers and Giants and the Children of the Forest who's on the side of humans against their mutual enemy.

Due to her heritage as a half-White Walker, Aneira has been living in fear that she might be found out as a White Walker one of these days and would be outright executed for being one of them if being discovered. Thankfully, none of such things has happened as the free folk and giants may be suspicious of her for many years due to longevity but had never confirmed her as a White Walker without any proof. Despite all that, she is more human than the fully-blooded White Walkers, that is if they have any blood within their cold icy veins flowing through their bodies at all and she is certainly not one of them.

She would have wanted them to stay a bit longer and talk with them more but the Stark children had to leave her home as they knew that they're getting past curfew outside their home of Winterfell.

"It's getting dark... We'd better return back to Winterfell or Father might send out his guards searching for us and bring us back home.", Ned told his siblings.

"Right... We might get punished by Father for our little adventure and Mother is gonna throw a fit and sends us to our rooms.", Brandon added that gave a chill of fear from Benjen.

That got the four children of Rickard Stark to agree on as they finished their food and got up from the chairs, thanking Aneira for the hospitality and meals provided for them under her roof as they readied the horses for journey back home.

"Aunt Aneira... Will you come by and visit Winterfell? I like to see you again and maybe introduce you to Father, Mother, and everyone else there.", the Stark girl asked.

Aneira feeling a little conflicted of this due to her good and bad memories there as a child a long long time ago and said, "I don't know, little wolfling. It's been so long that I last saw Winterfell before I settled here with my cottage as my home for many years."

"Please...", Lyanna insisted with a cute pleading manner that none can resist even her cold stern father.

"...If you insist, little Lyanna. Alright, alright, alright. I'll visit you in Winterfell.", Aneira sighed at the she-wolf's insistence which made Lyanna happy that she's going to see her distant aunt more often.

Watching the Stark siblings ride away from her home on their horses to head back to their home as the sun came down in the cold North, the female half-White Walker can only sigh at the children's antics and was glad to meet them before returning back to her cottage to clean up the dirty dishes and mugs and then pay a little visit to Winterfell soon after...

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 **Author's Note: Looks like the third chapter is done and the next one will come soon. In the next chapter, Aneira Winters is going to pay a little visit to the Stark children at Winterfell, her former home during the time being raised by her foster father Brandon the Breaker and things in Westeros are turning quite interesting along the way.**

 **Because of Aneira's existence, White Walkers are a common existence in Westeros now with their frequent attacks led by the vengeful Night's King on the Wall which the Night's Watch fended them off with the support of the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne with victories and defeats from both sides than a mere myth and stories meant to scare little children.**

 **Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to review. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey hello guys out there! I have returned and the fourth chapter of "Winter's Daughter" is here. I thank you guys for your early reviews and support for this AU Game of Thrones fanfic where the mythical creatures and terrors such as grumpkins, snarks, giants and White Walkers of Westeros long thought to be stories are actually real and sighted.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Game of Thrones or any of the characters involved in the story. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and to D & D who worked on the production on the television hit HBO series.**

 **Anyways enjoy and don't forget to review. :D No flames please**

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 **At the Wall, in The Nightfort**

In the a colossal fortification made of solid ice which stretches for 300 miles along the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms and 700 feet tall, there the Wall was manned by the prestigious Night's Watch that has been guarding the continent of Westeros and the realms of men for 8,000 years from the White Walkers since the aftermath of the Long night and the conflict between the Starks and the Free Folk against the Night's King, a former 13th Lord Commander of the Watch and his Queen at The Nightfort.

For centuries since the Age of Heroes, the White Walkers led by the vengeful Night's King have been constantly attacking the Wall with their vast swarms of wights and hordes of ice-spiders and ice dragons along with their terrifying powers of ice and death which brought numerous casualties among the defenders fighting them but often times they were repelled by the ancient military organization that was given tremendous support from the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne.

Although it was the most venerate institution where countless lords, knights and soldiers including mages have volunteered for selfless devotion of duty, the Night's Watch had allowed some criminals of redemptive qualities to take the black a certain extent so long as they did their duty defending Westeros from the White Walkers at the Wall as redemption of their sins, except for rapists, thieves and murderers and other society's scumbags of their petty crimes who are considered a grave liability if they cause trouble among themselves and the other members of the Watch.

Currently, every member of the Watch, man, woman, and giant, regardless of their race and gender, have been standing vigilant for any anticipated White Walker or wight attacks while maintaining their respective castles and fortifications at the Wall, and their best quality castle-forged steel weapons, armor and equipment including the remaining hundreds of thousands of Valyrian steel weapons they once received from the destroyed Valyria for 200 of them in supply contract every year prior to the Doom and the dragonglass, in top ship-shape and it has been getting very quiet as the cold winds blow towards them for winter is coming.

Way too quiet... or so they believe.

Below the fully manned Wall is The Nightfort, the original headquarters of the Night's Watch where its Lord Commander resided and first castle built there followed by eighteen more castles. It was where Mad Axe once cut through more than a hundred wights single-handedly in his berserk frenzy with his bloody axe, the 79 sentinels stood by on their posts just when White Walkers attack under the cover of raging snowstorms, attempting to scale the Wall with ice spiders and held them off until reinforcements arrive to drive them out and the Rat Cook dying valiantly in battle against the White Walkers with his giant rat form cursed by the old gods in redemption for violating sacred guest right by cooking the son of an Andal king and finally Brave Danny Flint's valiant stand, the inspiration for women warriors to join the Night's Watch.

It is also the place where the Night's King and his White Walker queen once resided there after declaring himself the King of the Night's Watch and performed human sacrifices, and also where Aneira Winters was born of their unholy union.

Within the chamber of office is Lady Commander Shiera Seastar, one of the legitimized Great Bastards of King Aegon IV Targaryen or better yet known as Aegon the Unworthy who was conceived by her mother Serenei of Lys, the late king's last mistress and a powerful sorceress from the Free City of Lys whom she shared her skill in the dark arts of magic honed for combat in her own right that she learned from a court mage.

At her side is her half-brother First Ranger Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, another legitimized Great Bastard of King Aegon the Unworthy who was convicted of killing Aenys Blackfyre during the Great Council in sacrifice of his own honor along with many other questionable and dishonorable methods against the enemies of the Iron Throne in service of House Targaryen as Hand of the King against the Blackfyres, the cadet house branch of the Targaryens who rebelled in attempt to seize the Iron Throne that continued until their line ended with the death of Maelys the Monstrous whose strength is truly monstrous befitting his feared epithet at the hands of young Ser Barristan the Bold in a deadly and destructive single combat of magic and skill of arms during the War of the Ninepenny Kings in 260 AC, for the good of the realm and was offered the option of taking the black by King Aegon V which he accepted.

With them is Maester Aemon, a former family member of House Targaryen who joined the Citadel that now accepts the study of magic among its existing studies by so many eager men and women too as well, to become a maester and passed on the crown and the throne in favor of his younger brother King Aegon V Targaryen or known as Aegon the Unlikely or just simply Egg in his youth before joining the Night's Watch in order to not get himself entangled in the politics of King's Landing.

Behind Lady Commander Shiera is her personal steward Pete, a good lad with a heart whom she's grooming him for command should he eventually rise up as a high-ranking member of the Watch eventually. She even treated him like a son she never had due to the vows.

When Maester Aemon sailed for the Wall in 233 AC, he was escorted by King Aegon V's friend, Ser Duncan the Tall of the Kingsguard, and accompanied by an honor guard of recruits for the Night's Watch in needed of fresh troops to man the castles and replenish their ranks. These were composed of 2000 volunteering men and a hundred prisoners, among them Brynden Rivers and the highly-skilled long bow archers from his Raven's Teeth who were also accompanied by Shiera Seastar herself much to the shock and surprise of everyone in the capital including the complete dismay of her would-be suitors wanting her hand in marriage due to her great beauty.

Rumors and gossips throughout the Seven Kingdoms speak of her wanting to be with her lover Brynden at the Wall after Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers, another legitimized Great Bastard of Aegon the Unworthy whose dangerous magical skill of the blade earned his moniker, was rescued by friends of the Blackfyres after accepting Aerys I's offer of joining the Watch as a path of redemption for his actions of supporting Daemon Blackfyre whose great martial skill that of the Warrior and magic of the true dragon with black flames which matches his title: the Black Dragon, and possession of House Targaryen's Valyrian steel sword of kings Blackfyre in the rebellion with his friend Ser Quentyn "Fireball" Ball whose magic power befits his nickname aside from his fiery temper and red hair, by defending the realms of men from the White Walkers and continued to fight the losing cause until his last breath, or getting tired of being someone's treasured jewelry to be gazed upon by other people for far too long and wanted to prove herself or just simply getting away from the men lusting and desiring over her great beauty at the court in King's Landing permanently.

At the Wall upon joining the Watch and saying their vows before the hearth tree underneath the headquarters of the Watch, Shiera eventually rose to her current position as the 203rd Lady Commander of the Night's Watch several years later while Brynden became the First Ranger and Maester Aemon was her closest adviser at the Nightfort.

Although the three, who shared the blood of a dragon flowing within their veins despite their different origins, have grown quite a lot older over the passing years since their time at the Night's Watch but they looked like they were almost being in their prime due to the cold of the immense fortification of ice built by Brandon the Builder that preserves them but it still delayed the Stranger from claiming them upon old age long enough.

Since after Brave Danny Flint's bravery and sacrifice in battle against a White Walker magic caster who arrogantly fashioned itself as the Wight Lord which led to the discovery of her true gender by her fellow comrades in the aftermath, women were being accepted as the sworn sisters of the Night's Watch when they were encouraged by the song of the first female Night's Watch member along with to defend the realm as much as men does and can rise high and even gain command over knights, mages and lords, rising as far as Lady Commander of the Night's Watch.

Although, most women warriors were sometimes generally looked down upon in the south unlike in the north as they are almost like an uncommon sight among knights and soldiers, and the Faith of the Seven dictates the women are of the gentler sex and needs of protection by men of honor and chivalry shielding them from harm which is pretty ironic and hypocritical of their actions far too many times during wars and rebellions in Westeros that most of the women ended up being actual shieldmaidens with a sword in their hand for self-defense.

In Westeros, female martial endeavors are considered "unladylike". Only men can become knights: there is no formal bar against women becoming knights, only that it is simply not done although they could join the mages' organization within the Citadel as an alternative. There is no "official" rule against women becoming knights, because it makes as much sense in their culture as making an official rule forbidding pigs to fly: it is thought absurd and simply impossible for a woman to be a knight but there were some rare cases occasionally.

At least over 1/5 of the warriors and fighters in the population of the martial society of Westeros are women but it is somewhat better than doing boring ladylike stuff and refinements that was deemed a mere trivial activities at home and considered idiotic and waste of time.

In short, women are real tired of being pushed around by men for far too long and began to stand up for themselves after the inspiring song of Brave Danny Flint and other famous female warriors to prove that even they can fight back regardless if they are beautiful or ugly of their appearances in the exterior glanced by men, so long they have the iron underneath their skin.

Lady Commander Shiera had looked through the reports from the returning scouts and patrols from their long and dangerous ranging in Beyond the Wall that there were almost no White Walker activity aside from random wights wandering around for the past ten months while going through paperwork about other requests of more willing recruits and delivery of fresh weapons and supplies.

"Something isn't right... It's been been damn ten years and no White Walker was sighted or heard of from Beyond the Wall. It's almost as if they went extinct for thousands of years.", she said after scanning through the papers.

"D-do you think they have given up?... The White Walkers I mean, my lady. We've beaten off so many times t-that they might have gave up the attacks on Westeros and left us alone...", her personal steward asked.

"No, the White Walkers and their cursed wights have been attacking us for centuries and almost none of them succeeded in breaching the Wall while managing to kill so many of our brave comrades in every battle we fought against them. They'll never give up until we are all dead especially that damned Night's King and his personal vendetta against us.", Lady Commander Shiera interjected.

"Perhaps, they might be rebuilding their forces quietly with another army of wights until they are strong enough to breach the Wall and flood the Seven Kingdoms with their legions of wights and winter. Just like our half-brother Aegor with the Golden Company during the Blackfyre Rebellions...", First Ranger Brynden commented in a bitter tone about his half-brother who took out his eye which was replaced with a magical onyx that allowed him to enhance his already formidable archery skills.

"L-Lord Brynden, how did the White Walkers managed to get so many wights out of nowhere?... I mean we've killed so many of them and burned the bodies of our fallen sworn brothers and sisters t-to keep them from being raised as wights yet more of them just keep coming at us...", Pete said.

"Pete my boy..., the White Walkers not only raised the fallen bodies of our fallen brothers and sisters but also the corpses of many of the First Men of Westeros who once fought them during the Long Night that driven our ancient enemies back this far north like the Fist of the First Men before the Wall was raised by Brandon the Builder with the help of the Children of the Forest and the giants.", Maester Aemon explained with his eyes blinking a little due to the use of magic to help him adjust his sight much to the horror of the steward.

"Not to mention, they also raised the skeletons of fire dragons who fell in battle with the ice dragons in the skies after the Targaryens pledged support for the Watch upon ascension as rulers of Westeros in the Iron Throne 300 years ago. As of now, there were only hundreds of dragons left since the Dance of Dragons that nearly tore the realm apart before the Blackfyre Rebellions had occurred. Even the deceased giants of ancient times were included too as well.", the First Ranger added.

"I-it's almost as if you said that the strength of the White Walkers were merely a fraction of a fraction of what the Watch has withstood at the Wall for so long since the Age of Heroes...", Pete muttered in shock.

"Aye, the Night's Watch have the highest casualty rates within our ranks in battling the White Walkers and wights in the real north more than the casualties from the wars and rebellions waged by the nobility who play the game of thrones in the south combined because of that... At least we got a lot more volunteers from the south to replace our losses than before.", Lady Commander Shiera said.

"If only Aegor would have taken the black instead of continuing fighting a lost and foolish cause of putting the Blackfyres on the Iron Throne after putting that stupid idea on Daemon's head. His bitterness would have rivaled that of the White Walkers should they meet in battle. Especially Quentyn Fireball and his fiery temper of his that got him killed during the Battle of the Redgrass Field in a quite of an ironic death.", she commented out loud.

"He made his choice, Shiera. We've made ours... Despite everything that has happened between us, he's still our brother.", the First Ranger simply said about the fate of their bitter half-brother who fell in battle in a skirmish between Tyrosh and Myr, and his skull was boiled off of his flesh and dipped in gold by his men of the Golden Company at his final orders in his deathbed along with the apparent disappearance of Blackfyre according to the rumors from the crew members of the ships that stopped by to drop in new recruits and fresh supplies at some point.

"Do you think that the Night's King had a child left behind after he and his White Walker queen made love in their union? I heard stories and rumors floating around in this castle lately from the other men of the Watch...", the 203rd Lady Commander of the Watch wondered after getting intrigued of the story surrounding the Nightfort after deciding to change the subject.

"If that is the case, then the babe may have been killed by Brandon the Breaker and Joramun when they drove the Night's King out of the Nightfort. A child born of man and White Walker is much more of a true abomination than the incestuous family line of House Targaryen and of the dragonlord families of Valyria.", First Ranger Brynden stated.

"But if such child was spared by Brandon the Breaker and been kept as his ward, then perhaps that probably gave the White Walkers a reason to attack the Wall and the realms of men after their defeat in the War for the Dawn. I believe that they are fighting to save the Night's King's sire and heir from the Starks...", Maester Aemon said in speculation.

"That was 8000 years ago, Maester. There were no records of the child born of their union exist to confirm it due to the Watch purging all information about the Night's King who was once the 13th Lord Commander of the Watch after he was driven out by the Starks and the Free Folk.", Lady Commander Shiera objected with her half-brother and the young steward sharing the same agreement.

"It was just a theory of mine Lady Commander. If that sire of the Night's King does really exist and has been living south of the Wall for a long long time with the peoples of Westeros, will that person fight for us... or against us?", the maester simply said in a foreshadowing manner whether if Aneira Winters would eventually have to choose her side when the time comes: Westeros or the White Walkers.

Pete then asked a bit meekly tone in his own wondering, "W-what would have happened if they never appeared at all? I mean if the White Walkers haven't been sighted or attacking us, maester."

"Then the Night's Watch would have been nothing more than a shadow of its former self and our purpose would be long forgotten. The Seven Kingdoms and the Crown would stop supporting us with the men we needed, food, supplies and equipment to maintain all of our castles and feed our troops manning the Wall. And our noble institution would be reduced into a glorified dumping ground for thieves, murderers, rapers, disgraced nobles and bastards, and anyone else unwanted by society.", Maester Aemon explained which Pete understood.

One horn was blown which would mean a party of the Sworn People of the Night's Watch have returned from their ranging in Beyond the Wall in scouting out White Walker and wight movements along with skirmishes to deal some significant damage to their forces although the Rangers have the highest number of casualties alongside the Wardens who are mostly front-line fighters.

"It appears several parties of Rangers must have returned from their scouting.", the maester commented to himself.

Then a second horn was blown which means wights were spotted while it was originally meant for wildlings who are now citizens of the Seven Kingdoms after the ancient King in the North, Brandon the Breaker, made a pact with former King-Beyond-the-Wall Joramun and allowed safe passage for the huge numbers of their people and giants where they settled in the Gift and become fully integrated into the North with their own unique culture and identity.

"Wights?... Damn, wights. Deploy some few parties of Rangers and Wardens to deal with them. Use fire to burn those fuckers out of their misery. I-", Lady Commander Shiera Seastar said before she was interrupted.

And finally a third horn was blown which means the White Walkers have appeared at last once again since the passing 8,000 years ago in another of many attempts to breach the Wall and bring the full wrath of winter and death upon the entire continent of Westeros since the Long Night.

"T-t-they're here...", Pete muttered in fear.

"White Walkers... They never knew how to give up, do they? Mobilize our troops! We'll meet them on the battlefield if that's what those fuckers want...", the Lady Commander of the Night's Watch then started to give her orders through an Incantation Orb, a magical item, she used that allows her to broadcast her voice throughout the nineteen castles of the Watch as she suited up and grabbed her Valyrian steel sword Sunfyre.

"Calling all Rangers and Wardens within the castles! Another attack from the White Walkers and wights are closing in on the Wall! Prepare to deploy and intercept them now! Have everyone else man the Wall and provide fire support from above!", she announced which scrambled all members of the Watch to mobilize and prepare to counterattack.

Responding to the call of arms as this was their selfless devotion to defend the realms of men, tens of thousands of Wardens and Rangers geared and suited up with their weapons and armor while warming up their magics ready for use against the White Walkers and wights before passing through the large gates that leads them outside of the Wall where they began forming lines as they are the vanguards of the Night's Watch.

The rest of the Builders and Stewards including the new recruits and trainees have also joined in the defense of the Wall as mainly fire and ranged support from above as they manned the ballista bolts and wildfire catapult towers along with First Ranger leading them. Thirty dragonriders of the Watch have mounted their full-plated dragons and readied to fly high above the Wall as air support and the giants provided heavy artillery support with huge catapults filled with rocks they manned from behind the Wall while some of them decided to join in the battle, eager to stomp on wights.

"There! Dem cold fuckers are here!", a heavily armored Warden with a stone fist-like helm wielding a huge spiked warhammer and a heavy shield named Little Jon bellowed upon seeing the coming blizzard heading towards their positions.

Emerging from the blizzard cloud are swarms of 300,000 blue-eyed wights from many of the deceased members of the Watch died fighting the White Walkers in previous conflicts and skirmishes from past thousands of years ago, and the massacred free folks who remained stranded in Beyond the Wall after Joramun managed to rally most of his people to settle south of the Wall as part of the North, including 50 ice and skeletal dragons hovering above them.

And the legions of the blue-eyed undead are staring towards the living in a cold blood frenzy, ready to kill them and eat their flesh and blood.

Tens of thousand members of the Night's Watch standing to defend the Wall that separates the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the realms of men against such massive numbers of the cold dead from Beyond the Wall and the Land of Always Winter.

"It looked like the White Walkers have amassed another huge army of wights for the passing ten years they scrounged up from the graves. That explains why they've been getting too quiet lately until now... Just as I suspected...", First Ranger Brynden Rivers commented as he and his Raven's Teeth archers readied their weirwood bows and quiver of dragonglass arrows to fire from above the Wall.

"They not getting past us this time!", a giant Warden equipped with a huge morningstar and heavy greatsword named Dun Dun bellowed with his fellow Giants thumping their weapons fervently.

"We drove them out before since the Long Night and we shall do it again and again!", a Child of the Forest with a dragonglass daggers and a weirwood staff named Root declared with his few fellow Children of the Forest from top of the Wall with the human archers and long-range fire support mages.

"For our friends and family living down south! The Wall will stand! The Night's Watch will stand!", a tall and burly-looking female Ranger with a scarred face wielding a heavy axe named Gwnyth Stone exclaimed with her comrades agreeing, unsheathing their weapons.

"They shall not pass!", a battle-hardened elderly Warden battle mage in armor around his robes wielding a staff glowing with magic and a sword imbued with holy light named Nadgalf exclaimed followed with everyone else glowing their weapons as they are the swords in the darkness against the coming night.

On the other side is the White Walkers led by the Night's King with another amassed army of wights formed from the deceased members of the Watch in previous battles and skirmishes as stated earlier with some were able to retain their ability to use magic aside from the weapons in their hands despite their revived state as thralls of their power including the ice dragons.

" _Kill them all... Winter has come for them..._ ", the Night's King simply spoke in an icy Skroth language in his never-ending vendetta of revenge for the apparent loss of his wife and daughter, and being driven out like a monster he became by the Night's Watch, the free folk, everyone else down south of Westeros and most of all, the Starks of Winterfell.

Obeying without question, huge swarms of wights bellowed in monstrous cries with eyes and mouth glowing blue and began to charge at the gathered Wardens and Rangers ready to face them in battle.

"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no husband, hold no lands, mother no children...", Lady Commander Shiera recited the oath of the Night's Watch while unsheathing her own Valyrian steel longsword imbued with glowing yellow fire which was soon followed by her half-brother and the rest of her fellow black comrades reciting their oaths too in their own different lines.

"... I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness.", they continued to recite, readying their respective weapons and magics empowering them as the massive army of wights charged in front of them with several White Walkers mounted on dead horses or in ice-spiders commanding from the rear although few of them decided to join in the fray with their ice weapons drawn.

"...I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come!", they finished reciting the oath and then charged against their ancient enemies, ready to die defending their homes and friends and families from the White Walkers.

And thus, another clash between man and White Walker at the Wall has begun once more again since 8000 years ago with magic and devastation exploded everywhere for the fate of the realm of Westeros...

* * *

 **On the Kingsroad to Winterfell**

Leaving her humble cottage in deep of the wolfswood and traveling down the Kingsroad that spanned from the Wall to King's Landing, Aneira Winters traveled by horse she purchased from a smallfolk village earlier to Winterfell, her former home a long, long time ago since after young Lyanna convinced her with a pleading cute face to visit her family, the Starks of Winterfell, there.

She sneezed in a cute manner for some reason unknowingly it was Lady Commander Shiera Seastar, First Ranger Brynden Rivers and Maester Aemon who were talking about her at the Wall. "Why am I sneezing?... I thought the cold never bothered me anyway...", she muttered while wiping off her nose.

Down the Kingsroad, she passed by a couple of a giant shepherd and farmer tending to their large herd of sheep and aurochs, and a field grown with crops ready for harvesting and put in storage for the coming winter assisted by their giant children before they stared at her for a brief moment and then returned to their daily work as if they didn't see the half-White Walker traveling.

Aneira had seen hundreds of giants populating Bear Island, Skaagos and the House Umber's seat, the Last Hearth along with other mountainous regions of the North after they settled down south of the Wall with the free folk humans 8,000 years ago and learned the Common Tongue in rudimentary form while dozens of them joined the Night's Watch as the powerhouses.

They were basically just like big human-like people in massively wrapped in fabrics and antlers and bones and grass for protection, who lived in big castles they built for themselves, dressed in heavy armor like knights whenever House Stark called the banners for war in the south, and were ruled by lords and ladies of the North since the giants do not have much in the way of advanced society or culture, nearly barely possessing the most primitive Stone Age technology in ancient times until now and possessed little if any large-scale political structure at all as they do not have kings, though particularly large, old and experienced giants who are veteran warriors often seem to act as basic chieftains or war-band leaders such as Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg or Mag the Mighty who is the prominent ring-leader of the giants.

She even heard and knew of the crannogmen of the Neck down south close to the Riverlands who kept dozens of the remaining Children of the Forest who settled there in migration at the North as part of their domain where they crossbred each other that gave birth to supremely powerful green-seers and the like as a part of keeping their race from the brink of total extinction despite being far too accepting of their fate while Men and Giants would not be so tacit that easily. There were also some Children of the Forest joining the Night's Watch as combat supporters.

Pondering on her thoughts, Aneira was a bit nervous of returning to her old home where she was raised with the family of Brandon the Breaker and also being a sore subject of being the King in the North's bastard daughter by the smallfolk and the household of the Starks 8,000 years ago but since young Lyanna convinced her to visit Winterfell, she couldn't refuse the little she-wolf and decided to come by.

Perhaps a small family visit with the descendants of the family who adopted her in the long times past at Winterfell wouldn't hurt.

Arriving in the ancient seat of the Starks, Aneira was met with Martyn Cassel, the captain of the household guard with several of his fellow guardsmen carrying spears and a shield of a direwolf emblem and an elderly magic caster in fur-cloaked robes with a staff at the gate whom she didn't have much worry about him so long as he didn't sense her huge magical power of ice and death that was concealed greatly through great control and willpower for her own protection.

"Halt! Who goes there?", Martyn asked upon her arrival as he and his subordinates stand in her horse's way.

"I am Aneira Winters, good ser. I came here to Winterfell upon invitation by one of Lord Stark's children. His daughter, Lady Lyanna.", she explained which the Stark household guards shared a look of skepticism with each other for a brief moment before turning to her.

"We'll inform Lord Stark about this. Please milady, wait here until you've been granted an audience.", Martyn Cassel told her as he left with few of his men to inform his liege lord of their unexpected guest invited by Lyanna Stark.

Getting off her horse and allowed the stable boy to handle it with care at the stables of the keep, the half-White Walker waited for several minutes until Martyn Cassel accompanied by Ser Rodrik Cassel, the master of arms informed her that an audience with the Starks have been granted as they escorted her inside the castle to meet them under the protection of sacred guest right offered by their liege lord.

Inside the great hall of Winterfell which is almost look the same as before, the daughter of the Night's King entered the place filled with servants and household guards where she saw the meets the current generation of the Starks sitting at the great table while gazing upon the four children of Lord Rickard Stark who were pleased and surprised of her visit in their home especially little Lyanna who muttered "I told you Aunt Aneira will be here...".

"Greetings I am Aneira Winters. A pleasure to meet with you all...", she introduced herself to the Stark family with a graceful bow while a hint of blue eyes glowing a little before reverting back to her normal coloring...

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well, the fourth chapter of "Winter's Daughter" is done and another update will be coming soon when I have another time and dealing with writer's block. :D It appears Aneira has come to Winterfell in visiting the Starks by Lyanna's cute pleading while the Wall is under attack again by the White Walkers which the Night's Watch are struggling to beat them back.**

 **Of course, while the existence of White Walkers are real and common existence, Westeros is still plagued in wars and rebellions such as the Dance of the Dragons and the Blackfyre Rebellions notably with a little twist of magic involved in it but that didn't stop the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne from continually supporting the Night's Watch as they were the only ones that stand between the realm and the legendary beings of ice and death.**

 **Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to review.**


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